Your Guardian Angel
by Haru Eclipse
Summary: When Shina has to return to Japan she expected unbearable pain and misery. Instead she meets a group of people that slowly help her heal her open wounds. And one boy will heal the gash in her heart and help her through the pain she faces everyday.
1. Prologue

**_A/N: Hey I decided to write this story just to get it out of my head so that I can make room for other stories! And I owe a lot of thanks to _**_BooShooFasa__** for beta reading this story! Anyways I hope you enjoy! Please read and review, I would love to know what you think! :D**_

_**~Haru Eclipse**_

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><p>"Miss Shina," a polite voice said behind me.<p>

"Yes, Nan?" I asked taking my gaze away from the large window near my desk and looking at her. She stood in the door way, her grey streaked hair pulled into a loose bun, with her hands knitted together in front of her.

"Your father wishes to see you."

I nodded my head giving her the signal to leave and she bowed slightly before leaving the room. After a few seconds of silence I sighed and got up from my desk and closed my laptop. The long halls were quiet and lifeless. The world outside our home was peaceful, sunny. The large city, that made our business flourish, stood tall in the distance and the noise from the insane traffic was like the buzz of an annoying bee.

_I wonder what Father wants to see me for,_ I pondered as I passed under another fancy arch. The maroon carpet was soft under my bare feet, and the light shining through the large windows that adorned the left wall gave me enough light to find my way. As I got closer to my father's study a sick feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. _I hope everything is alright…_

Finally my father's study came into view. Its large oak doors were closed and a sliver of light slipped underneath. Taking a deep breath I prepared myself for what was to come, and I knocked twice.

"Come in," My father's voice boomed and I let myself in.

"You wished to see me, Father?" I asked standing in front of the door. His study had a warm and homey feeling to it with soft couches facing the antique desk.

"Yes Shina, my dear! Now come and have a seat," He beckoned me to a furnished chair in front of his desk. Not wanting to anger him, I took his offer and sat where he had gestured. As I waited for him to get settled I watched closely to see if I could find some type of clue as to why he called me, but his appearance gave none. Finally he smiled and asked, "So how are you?"

"I'm fine Father, but is everything alright?" I asked, failing to hide the worry in my voice.

He sighed but kept his smile, as if to tell me not to worry. "I'm afraid that's why I've called you here."

"Father, are you alright?" I asked, the feeling in my stomach getting worse.

"I'm fine but," He began but paused as if trying to figure a way to explain something to me. Finally he figured it out and said, "I've found out from your grandfather's doctors that he's not doing as well as they hoped and he wants us to come home."

"What do you mean?" I asked, though I had a good idea of where this was going.

"We're moving back to Japan, and soon," he said rather bluntly dropping his smile, his face showing his true age. "Your grandfather might not even last the year, and the doctors say that it will be good for him if we stay with him until then."

My eyes widened and for a moment everything got quiet and my heart seemed to slow. The world outside seemed so distant, even the sun looked like it was farther away than it was just moments before. Finally I recovered enough to speak. "When are we leaving?"

"You are going to take a plane to Japan sometime this week and you'll stay with your grandparents until I arrive."

"You're not coming with me?" I asked, already a numbing sensation was traveling up my legs.

"I'm afraid that I have things I must finish before I join you, though I promise that I won't be long."

"Where will I go to school?"

"You'll be attending Ouran Academy."

"Is that close to the house?"

"Well, it's not terribly close, but you'll have a much shorter commute than the one you have now."

"Is it a private school, or is it public? Is it anything like the school I'm going to now?"

For a moment his expression changed, and a hint of his former smile returned. "It is a wonderful private school, much better than the school you're enrolled in now!"

"Al-alright. D-do you know when grandfather will…" But I couldn't finish, for a lump had formed in my throat, and the sheer thought of him dying was bringing tears to my eyes.

Father's expression turned to stone once again, and the hinted smile was washed away. "The doctors aren't sure, for his health seems to be up and down for the past few months, though your grandmother seems to be getting more worried as the weeks go by."

"I-I understand," I stood up shaking and my father put a steadying hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling. "I'll start packing...Is that all?"

"Yes, but will you be alright?" He asked his eyes full of concern as he stood beside me.

"I'll be fine," I tried to say.

"Are you sure?" He didn't sound too convinced.

"Yes, I think" He then pulled me into a comforting hug and rocked me slightly. I gratefully returned the hug.

"It'll be alright, if you need anything you know where I'll be and I'm sure Nan will help you too," He said as he looked at me.

"Thanks," I whispered and he kissed my forehead before releasing me. Then I walked numbly to the door and closed it quietly behind me. I staggered down the hallways back to my room. My tingly legs carried me forward as my mind was going elsewhere.

_What am I going to do? _I thought as I passed window after window. _If he dies than I have to take over for him, and I don't think I'm ready for that. _

_ Maybe Father could stand in for me until my studies are completed; I mean he does own half the company. _For a moment I stopped and looked out a window to see the sun shining high above the sky, no cloud in sight. The city a few miles away seemed to be livelier as more of its people were up and about, unaware of what was happening here. But that was New York for you, early in the morning and people are making just as much noise as a small town when everyone was awake. Sighing I moved forward and stumbled into my room. _But he's a photographer not a film maker._

"I can't believe I'm going home," I sat on my bed. Gently I lifted a frame from beside my bed and I gazed at the happy memory. A single tear ran down my face and splashed onto the glass as my fingers traced the small person captured in the photo. My heart swelled at the thought of returning home, where all the pain was, the place my father and I wanted to escape. "I'm really going home."

"You should stop talking to yourself, people will start thinking you're nuts," A calm voice, hinted with slight humor, said from a few steps behind me.

"Oh hey Nan," I said to my maid, who was more like a mother, and I wiped the stray tear from my face. And I tried to hide my distress, but failed. "Some might say I'm already there,"

Nan sat beside me and I leaned against her. She sighed sadly seeing the photo in my hand and began to smooth my long black hair. "I know it'll be painfully to go back, but isn't it for the best?"

"Yeah I know," I whispered. "And grandma will need the support. But I don't think I'm ready for the responsibilities he'll leave me once he goes."

"Miss Shina I'm sure that once he does go that you'll be ready to take his place, and you know your grandfather, he'll make sure you're more than ready," my maid reassured me. "Anyways I believe that you are more than capable to do so, trust me."

A range of emotions swirled, and none of them were good. A sick feeling ran through me as I placed my head into my hands. Already I could feel the pain creep back into the part of my heart that I was sure died long ago. "I just don't want to feel the way I did before we left, all that pain and the lonely nights spent in the dark room."

"I understand that things are going to be a little difficult for you to handle," Nan started to gently rub my back, her worn hands going around in large but even circles. "But you're not going to be alone; and we'll take each step at a time together!"

Looking up I saw both sadness and strength in her grey eyes. Sitting up I wrapped my arms around her neck and buried my face into the fabric off her dress. Though I would not let any tears fall it was comforting to feel her hold me in her arms, the way she did when I was much younger. "Thanks Nan,"

"It's my pleasure," She said into my dark hair. "And anyways I promised her that I'd always take care of you."

Pulling away I saw her smile, small but it was there-and I looked down with sad expression, remembering the day she made that promise. Looking at the photo that laid on my bed I saw the smile we both share, and I could hear her small weak voice in my head _"I'll always be with you Shina, just like before only you won't feel my hand in yours. But please promise me that you'll live a life that I'll never get to…live life for the both of us!"_

"Yeah, I remember that day," I said sadly as I remember my promise to her. Then Nan released her hold on me patted my shoulder.

"Now let's get your things packed!" She clapped her hands and stood up, going to my closet. That's Nan for you, always the first one to bottle things up to a get a job done. Slowly I stood up and looked out the window as she hurried around the room looking for this and that.

_Looks like I'm coming home. And maybe things will be different, _I thought before I started helping Nan with my things.


	2. Chapter 1 It's so Hard to Say Goodbye

**A/N: _Hey sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but I hope it's worth it! It's a lit longer than I was originally planning but oh well! So please read and enjoy the first chapter! :)_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 <strong>_It's so Hard to Say Goodbye_

"Where is she?" I asked as my foot tapped impatiently on the cool concrete. "She was suppose to be here ten minutes ago!"

"It'll be alright Miss Shina," Nana said as she stood beside me outside of the airport. Above us a plane started to ascend, filling the air with loud noise. "She wouldn't miss seeing you off."

As if on cue a familiar beetle green car came up from the parking lot. It stopped long enough to let out a small spiky haired girl, before it screeched off again. She looked up at me and grinned. "Sorry I'm late!"

"I see took your time Liz," I smiled back at my friend. "Now come on!"

The week had gone by faster than I had wanted it to and now I was at the airport waiting for my plane to arrive. I had already passed through the scanners, having little difficulty with security, though it took forever since there were other insane people getting on a flight after dusk. But after waiting a few hours I was finally at my terminal where my maid and my best friend waited with me.

The airport was a fairly large one with glass windows lining the walls just below the ceiling. The sun had set for the day so the only light came from the florescent lights that were scattered across the ceiling. Most of the shops were open, though some of them were beginning to close since the flow of people was decreasing. Despite the number of people that were here the airport was relatively quiet except for the occasional cry of a baby.

"I need coffee," I decided, feeling completely exhausted from the lack of sleep all week.

"Come on we'll go get some!" my friend, Elizabeth, said as she pulled my arm toward the small café nearby.

"Alright," I agreed as I placed my bag next to my maid. "Do you want anything Nan?"

"A small coffee with a couple creams please," she answered. "But are you sure you don't want me to get them Miss Shina?"

"Nah, it's cool!" I grinned. "We can get it, just stay here and relax while you watch our stuff ok?"

"Yes Miss," She said. "If that's what you want."

"Now come!" Elizabeth urged, dragging me away with little difficulty for someone that was at least a foot shorter and a couple pounds lighter than me.

"Ok, ok I'm coming!" I laughed as I pulled my arm free and matched her pace, which to be frank was too fast for someone to walk at this time of night, but we really wanted that coffee.

The café was small and roomy. Lights hung from the ceiling giving off a dim glow. There were clusters of couches and coffee tables, giving room for passengers to relax and chat. On the outskirts of the cafe were high tables with bar chairs surrounding them. And there were three cash-registers, each with a long line of people behind them. _'Great.'_

We stood for a good half hour before it was finally our turn to order. Walking up to the cashier I noticed how bored this guy was. I mean really he looked like the poster child for boredom. And if you could die from boredom he would have long since been dead.

"Hi, can I help you?" he asked in a flat tone.

"Yes uh…" Elizabeth squinted to read his name tag. "…uh Chad, I would like a medium latté and a blueberry bagel with cream cheese!"

"Would you like that toasted?" He asked as he rolled his eyes.

"No thank you!" She chimed, giving the boy her famous smile, but he seemed unaffected.

After a few taps on the register he looked at me. "And for you?"

"I would like a large coffee, as black as you can make it, a small regular coffee with two creams, and two blueberry muffins." I told him with the same enthusiasm he had shown us. He punched a few more keys and asked for the money. Digging in my purse I found my wallet and gave him exact change.

"Thanks," He said as he handed me a ticket with a number in black ink printed on it, "Your order will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay!" My friend dragged me to a table on the edge of the dimly lit café where large clear windows acted as walls. "You know if he could smile a little more I think he'd be really cute!"

"You think any guy with blue eyes is cute," I rolled my eyes as we sat on the high bar seats.

"No! I like any guy with blue eyes and has that skater/surfer look." She corrected and we both laughed. Then it got quiet and for an instant a hint of sadness danced in her green eyes, but then it was gone. Smiling she asked: "So are you excited?"

"Not exactly," I replied as I studied her face. It dropped a little before it returned to a smile.

'_Something's wrong'_, I thought but said nothing.

We chatted as we waited for our number to be called. Mellow music played from the speakers attached to the tan walls around us and the smell of cinnamon hung in the air like cigarette smoke.

"Order number 53?" Chad's dull voice called out and I looked at the little paper in my hands.

"That's us," I told her and we got up. Leaving our table we grabbed our food and headed back to where Nan was sitting with our stuff. When we got there she was reading some fashion magazine.

"We're back!" Elizabeth said in a sing song voice, startling Nan.

"Was the wait long?" Nan asked when she recovered.

"It was ok, though the cashier could have been a bit friendlier," I said as we sat in our seats. Then I handed Nan her coffee and a blueberry muffin.

"What's this?" She asked sounding a bit surprised.

"A muffin coated in sugar, I thought you might want something to eat before the long plane ride," I shrugged as I ripped open a few packets of sugar and dumped them into the dark liquid.

"Thank you," She smiled and took a bite of the moist bread. For a moment everything was a peaceful kind of quiet as we ate our food. The sugar mixed with the coffee was pure heaven to my taste buds and I savored the feeling for as long as I could. Already I could feel the caffeine waking up my sleep deprived brain. Finally every crumb was gone; all that was left was the wrapper and half of my coffee. Sighing in disappointment I took another swig of coffee before adding another packet of sugar.

"I don't understand how you can stand that crap!" Elizabeth exclaimed loudly as she finished the last few bites of her bagel. "It's loaded with enough sugar that your teeth are just begging for cavities!"

"It's the only way I can stay awake right now," I explained simply. "And anyways I've gotten use to the sweet taste."

"I think you're just crazy!" She decided, crumbling up the wrapper her bagel came in and stuffed it into her empty coffee cup.

I laughed, "Well I've accepted that I was crazy a long time ago, but you're insane for being best friends with a crazy person!"

She laughed, but it was a sad laugh and her face fell: "Yeah..."

Finally I couldn't take it anymore, something was wrong. Even though I had a feeling about what was making her upset I still asked. Looking her straight in the eyes I made it hard for her to look away. "Sparky, what's wrong?"

"O-oh nothing's wrong!" She stuttered as she tried to avoid my gaze. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I know you well enough to tell when something is wrong," I pressed, grabbing her shoulders. "Now look at me and tell me what is wrong!"

Just then the airplane came and docked at our gate. Soon its passengers poured out of the exit and scrambled into the airport, most looking around for the way to baggage claim while others were greeted by friends and family. Elizabeth looked at the plane and her green eyes were brimming with tears as she watched the flight attendants and pilots getting off the plane. After a moment she mumbled, "I-I just don't want you to leave."

"Sparky," My tone softened as I spoke. "You know I have to take care of my grandfather."

"I know," She said, her voice breaking. "But I'm afraid that you'll forget about me."

"Are you stupid?" I asked and she turned her head towards me, showing me the tears that were beginning to well up in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall. "You know that I will never forget you, I've told you at least a thousand times that we'll stay in touch!"

"But that's what they all say!" She protested. Sighing I pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms around me, burying her face into my shoulder. Her spiky sun bleached hair tickled my nose, but I ignored the feeling.

"Sparky you know better than anyone that I don't let people down, and that I never go back on my word," I tried to reassure her. "I will never forget you, and I'll try my hardest to talk to you everyday if I have too!"

She never answered me, just silently cried into my shoulder, soaking the fabric of my shirt, but I didn't mind. Like Nan always said, sometimes a girl just needs a good cry. So I continued. "Sparky you are my best friend; you're like a sister to me! It'll tear me apart if I ever lost the relationship between us! So please don't cry,"

"Y-you pr-promise?" She stuttered after a while, lifting up her head to reveal a tear stained face.

"I promise!" I smiled and held out my pinky finger; even though it was a silly, childish gesture I knew that it would make her feel better. Grinning slightly she locked her pinky with mine and wiped the remaining tears away with the end of her sleeve. I knew for sure that it'd tear me apart, and I never want to feel that kind of pain again…

"We'll be boarding the plane shortly so will all first class passengers please start lining up and getting your passports and tickets out. Thank you," A female voice politely announced by the gate.

"Miss Shina?" Nan, who had been silently watching, came up behind us.

"Yeah, I know." I said as I got up. She handed me my carry-on bag and I searched it for my passport. When I felt it I grabbed it and pulled it out of my bag. "You got the tickets right?"

"Yes ma'am," She replied and showed me the papers. Sighing I turned back to Elizabeth. She seemed like she was on the brink of tears again and I smiled.

"Please don't cry," I handed her a tissue from my bag. "Because then I'll start crying too."

"I-I'm sor-ry!" She wiped her eyes with the soft tissue. "I just hate saying good-bye!"

"So do I," Gently I placed my hands on her shoulders. "But we'll see each other again, even if I have to buy you your ticket and shove you on a plane to Japan!"

"I know." She hugged me. "You know you're my best friend ever, right?"

"Yeah, you too!"

"We are now boarding, so please all first class passengers starting lining up at the gate," The voice announced again.

"Goodbye, Shina, I'll miss you!" Elizabeth said. By now my attempts to keep myself from crying were beginning to fail.

"I'll miss you too," I smiled and added. "And I promise I'll call you as soon as I land in Japan and as soon as I arrive to my grandfather's house. Alright?"

"Yeah," Her expression was a mixture of hope and pain, her eyes shining with moisture. "I'll be waiting!"

"Miss Shina we need to go now." Nan said, her voice hinted with sympathy.

"Okay," I told her. Then my friend hugged me for the last time and I told her after a few moments, "And tell your brother I'll miss him too."

"I will," she sniffled and released me. Pushing me towards the gate entrance she added, "Now go, before you miss your flight!"

"Bye Sparky," A tear fell from my eyes and I tried hard to keep the others from following.

"Bye Shina," She waved and I waved back. Then I turned to walk with Nan to the small line of first class passengers. When we got to the front the lady looked at our passports then at us.

"May I have your tickets?" She asked with a smile. Nan handed her our tickets and the woman tore them and handed us the studs. Before I walked forward I turned and saw Elizabeth, still waving her hand as tears streamed down her face. I waved back and tried to smile, letting a few more tears loose. Turning back around we boarded and soon found our seats.

Sitting down on the soft chair I leaned back and gazed out the window. In the reflection of the mirror I saw a worried expression plastered on Nan's face as she sat in the seat next to me. "Will you be alright, Miss Shina?"

"Yeah," I said, weakly giving her a small smile, I doubt she believed me but she said nothing.

Outside, just above the horizon you could see the last hint of the setting sun as the colors faded from the darkening sky. When everyone was seated the plane began to start and move down the run way.

Soon we were in the air, soaring in the fluffy clouds, on our way to Japan half way around the world. Taking out my music I placed my headphones on and tuned out the world around me, letting the tears fall silently. Looks like it's goodbye New York City, and hello Japan.

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><p><strong>AN: _I hoped you enjoyed reading this and I'll get the next chapter out soon, I promise! And please feel free to comment on the story, give me your thoughts on it so far, I'm curious to see what you guys think!_ _I accept both criticism and praise. Thanks for reading! :D _**

****_~Haru Eclipse_


	3. Chapter 2 Welcome Home

**AN:**** _Hey guys sorry this took so long to get out, I could give you a million and one reasons why this is late but I really don't think you care to hear them, to be honest neither would I! As always my work for this story is betaread by BooShooFasa, and Lord am I thankful for her help! Anyways thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this because I made it longer to make up for the lateness. Also please feel free to review or subscribe or whatever suits you. I enjoy and look forward to any and all feedback (both the positive and the negative)._**_~Haru Eclipse_

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><p>Chapter 2: Welcome Home<p>

For what seemed like the fifth time this trip, the plane jerked me awake again. Opening my eyes I was greeted by the darkness in the plane and the dim blue glow from the floor lights. Everyone around me was still sound asleep snoring and shifting in their seats. Even Nan had drifted off to sleep; probably sometime during my last doze.

The plane shifted slightly again, and immediately I tightened the hold I had on the armrest. When the plain evened out I let out a breath I didn't know I held. After another moment I released my death grip and sighed. I hate planes.

Biting my lip, I turned my attention out the window to see what I could find. But all that was out there were clouds darkened by the night. 'We must be close or a little over the Date Line,' I guessed. 'So that means we still have a good few hours, at least, before we get to Japan.'

Suddenly a chill went down my spine and goose bumps rose on my bare skin. Looking around I tried to find the cause of the sudden chill, but all that I could see were sleeping people. The chill got worse and I wrapped my arms around me. Then it hit me and I looked up, only to get blasted in the face with cold air.

_'The __vent.'_ I frowned and closed the tiny thing, ceasing the cold air. Next to me Nan began to shiver from the added air from her vent. With a sigh I closed hers too and carefully stood up to get into the aisle. As quietly as I could I reached to open the compartment above us and I grabbed a blanket. When I was done placing the blanket on her I stumbled toward the bathroom.

With the floor lights as my guide I reached it without disturbing anyone. Feeling for the handle I pulled the door open and walked in. For a few moments it was completely dark until I found the light switch on the wall. The room exploded with light, forcing the darkness to retreat to the farthest corners.

"Finally some good light." I said to myself and just stood there for a moment. Soon my sore eyes adjusted to the bright room and things were easy to see. The room was actually quite small, but there was enough room for me to move around. Blinking a couple times I moved over to the sink. Reaching out I turned it on and let the water run, waiting for it to get warm. Then I cupped my hands under the running water and brought it to my face.

After splashing my face a few times I grabbed a paper towel to dry it. _'Look,__you're __almost__ there,__just__ sit __tight__ and__ don't__ worry__ about__ anything.'_ I told myself as I rubbed the paper over my face. _'You'll __be__ there __in__ no__ time.'_

When all the water was dried off I moved to the door, placing my hand on it. A part of me didn't want to go back and sit in the dark, but the other half knew I couldn't stay in the bathroom either. With a sigh I went with the latter and turned off the light before walking out. Again I stumbled back to my seat without waking anyone and I sat down on the soft chair.

Looking outside I noticed that there was a hint of light outlining the clouds, not moon light, but day light. Placing my headphones on I turned on the music and watched as the sun began to rise.

"Finally we're here!" I exclaimed, stretching my arms out wide when we stepped away from the gate. The airport was crowded... no, it was jammed packed with people arriving and leaving. Couples kissed at the gates while parents hustled their children around and business men rushed from place to place. There was a mix of natives, foreigners, and the obvious tourists running around too. It was louder here than back at the Kennedy Airport, but then again it was nighttime there and most people were just arriving. Here it was late morning and the place was alive.

"Miss Shina," Nan called from behind me carrying the bags we brought onto the plane. "We need to go and gather the rest of our luggage."

"Right." I nodded and we followed the signs to the luggage pick-up area. When we got there we saw that our flight's bags were already on the belt circling in and out, waiting to be picked up. For a good ten minutes we searched for our luggage, weaving in and out of people's way. Finally we found all our stuff and began walking away.

"Where's Grandfather meeting us again?" I asked, speaking over the noise, which was buzzing in my ears.

"Your father said that he'd be at the front of the airport." Nan answered, raising her voice for me to hear.

"Alright let's get out of here before my head splits!" I said, going forward as fast as we could in the dense crowd of people we made our way to the front of the airport. After a while of walking and bumping into people we made it. But it wasn't over, we had to find our ride in the mass of people.

"Miss Hanasuki!" I heard my name over the crowd.

"Do you think that's our ride?" I asked Nan who stood next to me, her arms full.

"I'm sure it is," She said turning her head to look at me. Then I heard the booming voice call my name again, louder this time. Nodding to Nan I began to walk in the direction of the voice. At the very front of the row of cars and taxis outside stood a long black limousine, and standing next to it was an extremely tall man.

"Miss Hanasuki!" He called again, scanning over the crowd.

"Come on Nan," I called to her behind me as I started rushing towards the man.

"I'm coming!" Nan said as she tried to match my pace, which was difficult to do with all the things she was carrying. But after pushing through the crowd, getting cursed and screamed at by angry people and being bumped into by excited children, we made it to the car.

"Are you Miss Hanasuki?" The man asked in a calmer voice. Now that I was in front of him, I actually got a good look of him. He towered a foot or two above me and it looked like his suit was having a hard time fitting over the mass of muscles underneath. He wore shades that covered his eyes and the sun reflected off his bald head. He did have hair though, but it was on his face, in the form of a large, black mustache.

"Yes, that's me." I replied looking up at the man.

"And you must be Nancy, the Miss's maid." The man clarified looking over at Nan.

"Yes, sir." She said after catching her breath.

"Your grandfather asked me to come and pick you up on his behalf." He bowed slightly and I nodded.

In one swift motion he grabbed our bags and started placing them into the vehicle, while he did so people moved out of his way and gawked. Then he walked back to us and opened the door. Bowing, he swung his arm through the air and brought it under him, saying in his booming, yet, polite voice: "Miss Hanasuki, Miss Nancy!"

A little shocked, I stumbled to say something. "Uh-thanks,"

"Yes, thank you very much!" Nan bowed back and waited for me to get into the limo then followed me in. After he closed our door he walked around to the driver's side and got in, the car sinking under his weight. After getting settled he covered his head with a sleek black hat.

"You're taking me to my Grandfather's home correct?" I asked as we drove from the airport leaving the noise behind.

"That is correct Miss." He said glancing at me through the rear view window. "Oh and Miss, my name is Aleksander."

"Shina." I said. He nodded once before turning his attention back onto the on the road. For the rest of the ride it was mostly quiet, Aleksander kept silent keeping his full attention on the road. Which was a good thing, because there were a couple times that lack of attention would cause a great deal of trouble for all of us.

"Um, Aleksander?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Miss?" For a second I thought his eyes looked at me through the rear view mirror before returning to the road.

"How is my grandfather?" I forced out. It was silent for a few moments as I fiddled with my fingers, waiting for his response.

Finally he spoke, and I could hear the European accent in his words. "Your Grandfather... is good man. He is very kind to me. And he is very strong. Stubborn."

"That sounds like him," I smiled softly, squeezing a few of my fingers. "Has anything changed in Japan?"

"I'm sorry Miss, but I do not know. I have not been in Japan for that long."

"Oh where did you come from?" Nan asked before I could.

Again he was silent for a few moments, and my curiosity was rising. The he spoke and it made sense. "I come from Russia."

"I've heard that it's beautiful there," Nan said.

"Yes, it is." His expression dimmed a little, as if remembering something. "And cold too."

For the rest of the ride I spent most of my time looking out the window at all the massive buildings looming above us I felt myself gradually growing smaller while Nan and Aleksander talked. It seemed as if everything had gotten bigger and more advanced since the last time I was here, and there seemed to be more people walking the streets. The ride came to an end though, when we arrived at a massive, cream-colored house. Trees and flowered bushes decorated the lawn surrounding the house. A thick green hedge acted like a fence and lined the edge of the property. The paved road turned into stone and circled around a beautiful fountain that was placed in front of the house.

"Is it just me, or has this place gotten bigger?" I whispered to Nan.

"I think it has." She whispered back as we came around to the front. We came to a slow stop and Aleksander stepped out of the vehicle. Soon he came around and opened my door, getting out of the way so that I could get out.

"Oh Shina dear!" I heard someone call my name as I climbed out of the limo. Looking over the top I saw a familiar elderly woman walk out of large wooden double doors. She looked exactly the same as I remembered. She still had that small frame that looked fragile, but it was a mask that hid her strong personality. Her white hair was pulled into a tight bun held by two chopsticks above her head.

"Grandma?" I asked as she descended down the stone steps. She smiled at me, the same way that I remembered as a kid. My mouth twitched upwards as I ran over to her. "Grandma!"

"My dear, you've gotten a lot taller since the last time I saw you!" She laughed as she looked at me. I grinned and she stretched out her arms. Taking her invitation I hugged her, and smelled the familiar lilac perfume as she wrapped her arms around me. "It's been a long time hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has." I whispered back, remembering how it felt to be in her arms when I was a child.

"It seems like you made it here safely." A voice pointed out. Looking over her shoulder I saw Grandfather standing at the top of the stairs, leaning proudly on his cane. He looked different. He seemed thinner with his grey suit hanging loosely off his body. And his skin seemed paler but his eyes still held the same fire.

Letting go of Grandma I stepped to the foot of the stairs and bowed slightly. "Yes, we made it here without any problems, sir."

"Now Shina, there's no need to be so formal!" He chuckled, his eyes lighting up as he extended his arms. "Now come and give your old grandfather a hug!"

With my grin returning I ascended up the stairs to meet him. When I got to the top he hugged me tightly, the same way Father always did. As I circled my own arms around him he whispered to me, "Welcome home."


	4. Chapter 3 Great I'm Lost!

_**AN: Sorry this is sooo late and I won't make any excuses because you probably don't want to hear them! I will also apologize in advance for any mistake you may find, trust me I don't mean to, but my computer is doing strange things like deleting words and replacing letters with strange characters. I tried to find and fix all of them but if I missed one I'm very sorry! Also thank you BooShooFasa for being my beta! **_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 <em>Great I'm Lost!<em>**

_"__You need to let go of me Shina!"_

Screaming I bolted up in my bed. Cold sweat clung to the skin of my face and arms. My heart pounded erratically against my ribcage. Tears were frozen behind my wide eyes.

_'I__t was just a dream,'_ my mind tried to convince me. _'J__ust a dream!'_

My breathing calmed and I released the fist-full of comforter that I didn't know I had. The tears went away and everything settled. But with every beat my heart gave a painful squeeze. It was dark, but not terribly so, because a soft light radiated from my bedside. Next to the small light was a picture frame, the one I loved so dearly. Slowly I reached out my hand and grabbed the picture. In the picture were the smiling people from a broken family.

_'I'm sorry but I just can't let go, not yet.'_ I thought as I rubbed my thumb along the decorative frame.

With a sigh I placed the frame back on the table and looked at the grandfather clock that stood across the room. It was an old clock; probably an antique Grandfather had gotten on one of his world trips. The hands were easy to make out in the dim light, so it wasn't hard to tell how early it was.

"Great, an hour before I actually have to get up." I grumbled to myself. I knew that I was too wired to go back to sleep, and it would be a total waste of time. And to be honest, I was afraid to go back to sleep and have that dream again.

The dream. I've had similar dreams before, ever since the night after the funeral. I wasn't surprised that it followed me to Japan, or that I had it the first night here. But it was different from the others. This was the first time I actually woke up screaming. Sure I would wake up crying, but never screaming; unless I was begging for her to come back. And her words 'let me go' still echoed in my mind like an unwanted visitor.

Shaking the images of the dream away I pulled the covers off. Cold air attacked my bare legs, making goose-bumps stick out from my skin. With a defeated sigh I swung my legs off the side of the bed and placed my feet on the soft carpet. The material tickled my toes as I flexed them before I got off the bed.

The thick curtains covered the windows, not letting any of the beginning morning light through. Staying in the glow of the light I walked over to the light switch, making sure to stay away from the shadows, and turned it on. There was a sudden explosion of light and the shadows receded to the farthest corners of the large room.

Then with great effort I dragged myself to the bathroom across the hall to begin getting ready. It didn't take much time for me to shower, and when I got out the room was filled with a thick steam. After a few moments it dissipated and I walked over to the sink to brush my teeth. Wiping the mirror clean I stared back at myself. Signs of sleepless nights showed under my blue eyes, and the long hours I spent trying to fall asleep probably didn't help them either. With another sigh I finished in the bathroom and went back to my room.

A few hours later Nan had come in to check on me and to help with the last few things. By then the curtains were drawn back, letting the bright light from the sun stream into the room. The sun was out and the sky was clear. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day; too bad I'd be stuck inside and too tired to enjoy it.

"Good morning Miss Shina," She greeted as she walked through the door, stopping to give a low bow.

"Good morning Nan," I yawned as I stood in front of the mirror, this time fully clothed.

"Your uniform looks really nice," She commented with a smile as she walked up behind me.

I rolled my eyes, "Sure."

She only sighed and began to help me with the small red ribbon round the neck of the dress. With my back to the mirror, her worn fingers fumbled with it before she got it tied in an even bow. Then she turned me around again, her smile turning into a grin. "Much better."

I looked at the dress in the mirror and cringed. It was a long yellow dress that ended just below my knees, with long sleeves and white cuffs at the end. The white collar came up my neck, fitting quite snugly. My legs were covered in soft plain stockings and polished black shoes covered my feet. The only skin that showed were my hands and face, the rest was covered. Frowning, I turned to her, "This uniform is grotesque!" I scoffed. "It looks like the sun puked on it!"

"No, Miss Shina, your previous uniform was grotesque,She stated with a stern voice." This one is lovely and better flaunts your social status."

I sighed as I remember my other school uniform; the one I wore in New York. It was your typical uniform: red plaid skirt, white button up short sleeved shirt, black vest, and knee socks. "I'd take plaid over yellow any day."

"Well you're just going to have to get use to it,Then she grabbed my comb and began to brush my hair. I didn't need it brushed, I had gotten out the tangles a while ago, but I guess she did it out of habit. Either way, it felt good, like a cat being petted. After a few strokes she turned to my dresser to grab something. A moment later a red headband was placed on my head, pushing back my hair but leaving my bangs to cover my forehead.

She smiled at the reflection and placed her hands on my shoulder. My heart gave a squeeze but I tried to hide it with my own small grin. The grandfather clock chimed, sounding old as it announced the hour. I walked over to my bed, which was placed against the wall adjacent to the door, and grabbed my bag. "Well I'd hate to be late on the first day!" I called.

"Are you sure you still wish to go?" Nan asked with a worried expression. "You still haven't recovered from the Jet-lag."

'_She must have seen the bags under my eyes...'_ I thought before I nodded. "I'm already behind, and I don't want to get even further behind because of something silly as this."

"As you wish Miss Shina," Nan sighed but said nothing more. As I began to walk down the stairs she called to me from the doorway to my room, "Have a good day!"

Aleksander drove me to school. The ride was quiet, which was fine with me. But the moment I saw the large Victorian styled school I wanted to turn back. The grounds outside were decorated with various sizes of pink trees and bushes. Fountains of different designs were placed here and there. The school had light pink walls and large windows covered most of it. The columns at the front of the school were tall, and were of Greek design. And all of this was surrounded by a stone wall, not a very tall one but it kept unwanted eyes from sneaking a peek. It was elegant. Much more elegant than the school I was used to back at New York.

Finally I remembered to breathe as he pulled the car up to the street. Other students were getting out and talking with their friends. The girls wore the same yellow dress while the boys wore a blue outfit. They chatted as if it were another day, not really going towards the school, and just standing there with their friends as if their conversations were more important.

"Miss Hanasuki?" Aleksander's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Oh sorry!" I said as I opened the door. Stepping out I turned to face him. "You'll be picking me up afterwards, correct?"

"Yes, I'll be here right after." He confirmed.

"I'll see you then." I said, waving him goodbye as he drove off. Then I turned around, my bag in hand, and began to the school.

The inside of the building was as elegant looking as the outside. It was spacious, but grand all the same, looking rather expensive too. It took me a little while to find the administration's office on the main floor, though it was because of the large amount of people walking around that made it hard to find. I walked into the office and was greeted by a nice secretary.

"Hello and welcome to Ouran High School!" She smiled at me. "May I help you?"

"Um, yes actually." I walked over to her desk. "I'm new here and this is my first day."

"Oh you must be Miss Hanasuki!" She said and began to gather some papers on her desk. When she was done gathering she placed the papers in a folder and handed it to me. "Here is all the information you might need. You'll find in the folder a list of all your classes, a bell schedule, a few papers that will need to be filled out and returned tomorrow, and some other papers that you'll need to give to your teachers."

Grabbing the thin folder I asked, "So where do I go now?"

"You go to homeroom, which for you, is up the stairs on the second floor."

"Thanks." I smiled and walked out of the large administration's office. The stairs she was talking about were very large with red carpeting and marble railings. There seemed to be a couple of flights that turned and slit apart before reaching the next floor. Already I was starting to get confused, as I was sure there were more than one set of stairs. Biting my lip, I contemplated on whether I should go back or just wing it, and see where I ended up.

With a sigh I began to walk up the stairs, my hand trailing along the smooth marble. Finally I made it to the top and was faced with a couple set of halls around the stairs: each hall was lined with classrooms and seemed to go on forever. It seemed like the inside was much bigger than what the outside alluded too. And this place was definitely larger than the other school, even though both are considered private.

_ 'I need to go back and ask before I'm late.'_ I thought and started going back down the stairs and to the office. As I got off the final step the bell rang and the room was suddenly filled with students in yellow and blue clothing. I tried to make my way through them, but I kept bumping shoulders or stepping on toes. Finally I was in sight of the office and the mass of people thinned, but there were still a few kids rushing to class trying not to be late when I ran into someone. We collided and fell to the floor with papers floating around us. Looking up I saw that I had bumped into a boy with brown hair. My face turned red with embarrassment as I watched the boy stand up.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going," He apologized in a polite tone. Then he offered me his hand and said. "Here, let me help you up."

"T-thank you!" I stuttered as I accepted his hand, which was soft and warm to the touch. He helped me up and together we collected our papers. When everything was picked up I realized that we were practically the only students left in the halls. Sighing, I bowed slightly and said to him: "I'm so sorry for bumping into you; I was trying to get back to the office to find out where I'm supposed to go."

"It's fine," He said dismissively waving his hand and smiled. "So I see you're new here."

"Yeah and I'm completely lost!" I rubbed the back of my head and laughed nervously.

"Here let me see where you're going," He offered and I handed him my papers. A moment later his face brightened. "Hey, you're in my class, so I'll just show you the way!"

He gave my papers back to me, and I placed them into my school bag. "Oh thank you!"

"You're welcome!" He said and then extended his hand, "By the way, my name is Haruhi. Haruhi Fujioka."

"Shina," I shook his hand. "Shina Hanasuki."

"Ok Shina, let's get to class before we're late!" So I followed Haruhi, up the stairs and down a long corridor lined with larger windows on one side and classrooms on the other. As we walked I began to wonder how my first day would go and what fate had in store for me.

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><p><em><strong>I hope everyone enjoyed the reading, and if you're feeling kind please review, I want to know what you think. Have a nice day!<strong>_

**~Haru Eclipse**_**  
><strong>_


	5. Chapter 4 First Day

****_**A/N: Sorry guys this took so long to get published, so I made it extra long for you guys! xD Anyways, I'd like to hear what you think of this story, I know you guys are quiet, but I would like to get some feedback please! Thank you to all who have reviewed this story already and I hope to hear more from you and thank you to BooShooFasa for helping me fix this chapter! I don't know when I'll update again, hopefully soon, because Softball is starting and SOLs/AP tests are coming up...Thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! :D  
><strong>_

****_~Haru Eclipse_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>_ First Day_

Last night when I was failing at trying to fall asleep, my mind kept thinking of my first day. I had thought up so many different scenarios; some good and some bad, of how the day would go. Of course, nothing had gone the way I thought it might.

The moment I stepped into the blue classroom the final bell had rung, and all eyes were on me. It was uncomfortable to the nth degree to feel all of their stares, almost as if they were trying to assess me. Taking a deep breath, I tried to put on a convincing smile as I thought,_ 'Come on Shina! Swallow that fear, they can probably smell it.'_

The teacher directed me to introduce myself to the class. At that moment I felt their stares intensify, like they were eager to put a name to my face. I felt extreme discomfort as I felt the urge to fiddle with my fingers. _'Oh snap out of it Shina! So what if these kids are sons or daughters of important business owners? So are you! Now stop being a chicken and grow a backbone!'_

Taking a deep breath I pulled my shoulders back slightly, held my head up, and forced a smile. "Hello, my name is Shina Hanasuki, and I transferred from a school in New York."

All the girls began to whisper excitedly to one another and some of the guys look interested while others looked completely bored. I gave a small sigh as the teacher then directed me to a seat next to one of the large windows.

_'See,'_ I told myself, _'That wasn't so hard!'_

After I got to my seat class began and all attention was back on the teacher. I tried to pay attention to the lesson, which was harder than I thought for many reasons. I constantly felt eyes on me, and could see from the corner of my eye students sneaking a peek every once in a while. I could also hear my name occasionally.

I've never had to really pay attention to class in New York. We were never divided into groups by intelligence, they just had everyone together in one group. This made most of the classes boring, and I got into the habit of staring off into space or doing other things during the lessons. Most of my teachers didn't mind my behavior, so long as I was doing well in their classes anyways.

But here at Ouran, I was actually placed in a class that would challenge me. And thanks to the lovely American education system, I was at least somewhat behind in most of my classes here. I really didn't have a fear of falling behind; I knew I would be at disadvantage, I just would have to work harder to catch up.

At least my first class of the day was World History, a subject that came naturally to me. Already on the board were notes and some diagrams, which I copied as I listened to the teacher's lecture. Occasionally I would write down a few things from his lecture that weren't on the board. From the time-lines, the notes, and his lecture I figured that we had just finished the fall of the Roman Empire and was now onto the Italian Renaissance. Interested, I listened even more closely to his words, even though they were dull, they were full of much information. History in general fascinated me, with it's look into different cultures before us, and the way societies were formed.

As I wrote down the notes I tried to ignore the stares I was getting. By the end of class I was getting irritated, because it was just so rude to stare at someone and these people weren't very sneaky about it. But I had to remind myself that this is what it was like to be the new kid. You were the new thing and everyone was interested.

At the end of class I got my teacher to sign a form that the secretary had handed me. When I got out into the hall I pulled out my schedule to see what class I had next. As I began to put away the paper a group of girls came up behind me and soon I was surrounded. There were more than I was comfortable with, and they all introduced themselves, though I had a hard time catching all of their names.

"What class are you going to next?" One of them, who I believe was called Kimi, asked eagerly, practically bouncing. I looked around and realized that they were some of the girls from my last class.

"Chemistry," I answered. To be honest I was a little surprised at how fast they were willing to talk to me. Before, when I first went to my old school, the kids there gave me a wide berth for the first couple of days. I always assumed that they were trying to see if I was a threat, or they were trying to build up the courage to talk with me. Either way, I was caught off guard by my new classmates' curiosity.

"That means we'll be in the same class again!" Kimi said with a gaint smile, her eyes practically sparkling.

"So you wouldn't mind showing me the way?" I asked and the girls laughed, telling me that it was no problem. As I followed them to my next class they began to ask me questions about the States.

"What is New York like?" one of them asked, and I assumed she was probably referring to the city and not the state.

"It's large, over populated, and ungodly loud." I told them. "But Central Park is pretty and can be quiet when there aren't any concerts in the park."

"Wow," some of them said together in awe.

"Have you ever seen the ball drop in person on New Years?" another, who introduced herself as Ren, asked.

"Yes, a couple of my friends and I would record and photograph the event for our school newspaper."

"You were part of a school newspaper?" I nodded. "What was it like?"

"It was like any normal newspaper. We would do reports on school advents such sports, dances, and the science fair. And we would occasionally did stuff that went on in the city, like the ball drop and different festivals in the districts."

"Oh wow, that sounds so interesting!"

"What was Time Square like?" a girl asked from behind me.

"It's almost always busy. The streets are lined with stores and a few restaurants that are multileveled. And it's surrounded by really high buildings with giant advertising screens on them." I shrugged.

_'Why was something like that interesting?_' I wondered. I mean, hadn't they read about New York somewhere? After a few more questions about the famous city we made it to class.

Chemistry was next, and it wasn't so bad; we spent most of the time balancing different equations. The equations were for the most part straightforward and the math behind it was easy enough, being simple addition and multiplication. It wasn't until I took a quick break from writing that I looked around the room. Like all the others the walls were blue, but it was much larger, having both desks and lab tables in it. I saw that Haruhi was towards the back of the room, working rather hard on his work. That is when I noticed a pair of twins, one on either side of Haruhi. They were identical, with the same styled red hair, and they seemed rather bored with the assignment.

'Huh. I wonder why I didn't see them before?' I thought as I looked back a little longer. Then one of them turned his eyes and caught my own. We held that look until I turned back to my work and tried to finish the rest of the problems before the end of class.

When the bell rang once again I followed the same routine as before. After I had gotten my paper signed I went to my next class, along the way I had the same group of girls and some new faces crowding me. Kimi was practically clinging to my arm as she asked, "So what's the fashion like in New York City?"

"Creative, interesting, and different." I answered. "Some designers are trying to bring back stripes and polka-dots. I mean... the city is full of different kinds of fashion that fits all the types of people there." I was trying not to sound agitated. I was grateful that these people were guiding me to my classes, but my space is my space, and they were invading it. I stayed calm though, knowing that I needed to behave because making enemies in this school was the last thing on my to-do list.

"So is it true that the city has different ethnic centers?" One of the new faces, Naomi, asked.

"You mean like different districts?" I asked and she nodded eagerly. "Yeah, there's places like Chinatown and I think there's even a place for Middle Easterners. There's a district for almost every major ethnic group you can think of."

"Oh wow," Some of them said as they chatted amongst each other. I guess they were discussing what question to ask next. Then they decided: "What's your favorite place in New York?"

"Chinatown, for the street vendors and their merchandise, and because they have really interesting festivals that are fun to photograph. I also like Little Italy because they have some of the best restaurants in the city." I said with a smile as some of the memories of Liz and I running around the two districts floated by.

As we walked into the next class someone asked, "Did you live in the city?"

"No, I did not. I lived outside of the city, but it was still close enough to see all the lights at night and hear the noisy people."

"Did the noise bother you?" I stood at my seat and thought the question over. Here there were no sounds of sirens or horns. There wasn't music of any kind blaring from the streets outside, and there was no laughter or shouting either. At Ouran there was only chatting students and giggling girls, it was a sharp contrast to what I had grown use to. In some ways, I think I already missed all the noise.

Taking a seat to get ready for class I looked at the girl who asked me. With a small smile I told her, "No, it never bothered me."

It was shortly after this class began that my stomach began to feel empty. I knew that lunch wasn't going to be served until after the next class, so I already considered myself doomed. My body had yet to adjust to the time change, so it was thirteen hours behind schedule, and it was probably thinking that it was dinner time. As my stomach grumbled in displeasure I sighed, 'Maybe I should have stayed home today so I wouldn't have to hear Nan say 'I told you so.'

I tried concentrating in math but it was really hard to work through the various problems, not only because I was behind but also because my stomach was not being very kind. It was like a stubborn child screaming and begging their parents to buy a new special toy; it was persistent and didn't take 'no' or 'maybe later' for an answer. But I was determined to ignore it until lunch.

Unfortunately that plan didn't last, it failed in the next class, and it didn't help that I could smell food in the air. The smell made my mouth water and it tortured my stomach, which in turn tortured me. I did everything I could to try to forget about it and not think of food. But it took all that I could to pay attention to the teacher, who wasn't helping. The lesson was boring and hard to get into, droning on and on and on about uninteresting stuff.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the lunch bell rang. People filed into the halls, making them more crowded than normal. I followed the throngs of students, some that I recognized from of my other classes, and walked towards the dinning hall. All around me people were talking loudly to each other, making a headache I'd begun to get, probably from my hunger, even worse. Already my mood was turning sour and all I wanted was quiet, food, and some sort of caffeine to perk me up.

"Shina, wait up!" I heard someone call. Reluctantly, I stopped and waited for that small group of girls to catch up. When they did one of them asked: "Do you want to sit with us at lunch?"

Not really caring, as long as I got some food in me, I replied: "Sure."

When we got through the large entryway I stopped and looked around. To call this place a cafeteria would be a crime and an insult to the architect who designed the building. It was similar to a normal public school cafeteria, with long tables that stretched across the room, but it was at least ten times more fancy than any school eating facility I've been in.

The room was a light pink, close to the same color on the outside, but a shade or two lighter. Decorating the walls were large windows, that showed the outside world to the students, and massive marble pillars stood between each window. The floors were so clean that they shone and were almost like perfect mirrors; no scruffs or smudges to be seen. The strong aroma of the food was enough to silence my stomach for a few moments as it made my mouth water.

When I got my food I followed the girls to a table and sat down with them. Before I answered any questions I took a bite of my food and almost cried. My taste buds were singing as I chewed and swallowed, which made my stomach sing along. There were so many different choices of food to pick from, but I decided to go traditional and I was happy that I did. It had been a long time since I had eaten actual sushi made in Japan. The sushi in New York was good too, but couldn't compare to the original.

"So what was your old school like?" One of them, Amaya, asked. "Was it like Ouran?"

"Kind of," I said after savoring another bite. "Yes, it was a private school like Ouran, but the set up was different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well instead of having seven classes a day, we had nine."

"Really? How did that work?" she asked as I took another bite.

I finished chewing before answering: "We went an hour and half earlier than other schools. We had the same educational standards, like we had to take certain classes each year and we had to pass so many before going to the next grade, but the two extra classes didn't follow those standards. The two extras were what the school called "creative art classes". Such as music, art, dance, photography etc. The school said that it was to help bring back New York's art cultural influence."

"So you went to an art school?"

"Sort of, I mean the school still invested in the other subjects like math and science, but art was their main priority." After that I listened to them chat as I picked at my food, taking it slowly so I won't give myself a stomach ache later. I would occasionally throw in my two cents worth into their conversation, sometimes sparking more questions.

When I was finished I noticed that more students had gathered around us and the questions became more frequent. Though this time around the guys were asking a lot of questions, like what the sports were in America and what were they like and such. At one point I was pretty sure that they were just asking questions to hear the accent that I picked up in New York.

"And Manhattan has some of the best bagels," I said, and some of the students snickered. Suddenly I realized what I did, I had slurred some of my words together and most importantly I said bagel like bag-gle.

"Baggle?" One of the boys snickered. "What is that?"

With a blank look and a slight frown I tried to redeem myself, "I meant to say bagel, you know the breakfast food that's shaped like a donut."

"I thought that's what you meant, just wanted to make sure!" He grinned while some people behind him still snickered, but I disregarded it and answered the rest of their questions before the bell rang.

The students here puzzled me. They seemed too curious and excited when confronting new things, it was almost scary. These students were the polar opposite of my previous classmates. The students from my other school were scared of new people, especially those who looked and acted differently. I wasn't surprised by the fear because living in New York City was dangerous enough, it being the most populated and one of the most important cities in the US, and with the fear of some kind of attack everyone was suspicious of new foreign faces.

After lunch was over, and my stomach satisfied, the rest of my classes went by in a blur. During the last class my mind wandered from the lesson and to a room filled with dancing figures against the view of the blooming park. As I daydreamed my foot began to tap to the music in my head that the dancers were moving to. Their limbs were long and their movements calculated and graceful. A sad smile touched my lips as they continued to dance.

When the finale bell of the day rang it broke me from my thoughts. The dancers faded away and the music stopped as the students got up to leave. Standing up, I walked over to the teacher to get my last signature. As some of the students left they waved goodbye to me, and I returned it with my own. Going back to my desk I gathered all of my stuff, including some homework and "catch-up" work from my teachers. Making sure everything was in order I began to walk out into the still busy hall.

With a sigh, I tried to remember my way back to the administration's office, letting my feet guide me. As I came to an intersection I almost ran into someone again. Luckily I had already slowed my pace, hoping that a collision could be avoided. When I came up I saw the familiar face of the person I met this morning; the one I had run into.

"Oh, hi Haruhi." I smiled, gaining his attention.

He smiled back at me and stopped. "Hey Shina. So how was your first day? Did you have any problems finding your way around?"

"Actually my day was fine, thank you. And no, I didn't have any problems," I laughed. "Though I think I spent most of it answering questions."

"Oh really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, the students here are definitely strange!" He laughed as well. There was something about him that was different than the other students. He seemed almost neutral, not uncaring but not eager either. Something was off, but my tired brain just wasn't picking up on it.

Looking at the clock I realized the time and smiled again to the boy. "Well thank you again for helping me this morning. And it was really nice to meet you!"

"No problem, and it was nice meeting you too." He returned my smile and gave a quick nod before scurrying off. Surprisingly the halls were almost empty now and it made me wonder, 'Where the hell did everyone go?'

With a sigh I continued my journey, walking quickly down the long corridor, my shoes clicking as they hit the marble floor. Outside the large windows that lined the wall, I could see my ride waiting patiently at the front of the school. I didn't want to make him wait any longer, but I didn't want to make myself look foolish and run, so I stuck with a brisk walking pace.

I had almost reached the stairs when I heard the sound of soft piano strokes and the quiet singing of Beethoven's famous Moonlight Sonata. Stopping I turned to the cherry colored door on my left, where I thought the music was coming from. As quietly as I could I walked over to it and peeked through the small crack. The room was large; it had a wooden floor, pink tinted walls, and directly across from me was a full length mirror that covered the entire wall. Inside were a group of girls, some of which I had met today, in white tights and different colored leotards. Some of the girls, I recognized two as Ren and Amaya, were doing various exercises on the bar in front of the mirror while others pranced around and twirled. It was a ballet class.

As I watched them I resisted the urge to dance along to the music, for I knew my shoes would give me away. So I watched them, swaying slightly to the music but not moving my feet. My heart ached slightly as I remembered my last dance class, when I had to say my final goodbye to the girls I had been performing with for years. I remembered our last performance together, it was to the song that was playing now, and my legs still remembered all the moves to it.

One of the girls practicing at the bar noticed me and turned around, but before she walked over to the door, I began walking away, not wanting to get caught. When I came down the stairs I quickly went to the administration's office to drop off the paper of signatures. The secretary greeted me with a warm smile and thanked me before I left. I went outside to the limousine where Aleksander was waiting for me. He looked up from his shoes and nodded to me. Feeling embarrassed for keeping him waiting I said: "Sorry for the hold up."

"It was no problem Miss. So how was your first day?" He asked as he opened the door for me to get in.

"It was…" I paused, thinking of the best word to describe my day. "Interesting."


	6. Chapter 5 A Propostion

**Disclaimer:**** I DO NOT own Ouran High School Host Club, the only thing I own is Shina and my other original characters!****  
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**Special thanks to RainbowsNSmiles5 for being my most frequent reviewer and for their amazing reviews! Here have a cookie! ^.^  
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**Sorry for the long wait, please don't kill me! TT_TT  
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><p><strong>Chapter 5 A Proposition <strong>

I stood in front of a set of large pink doors, the same as all the others in the school, with a note clutched tightly in my hand. I've been standing there for a few minutes, not quite sure if I wanted to open the doors or not. Sighing I remembered what brought me here and I looked at the note.

It had been a week since I had left the States and arrived in Japan, a week since I started attending Ouran. I had finally gotten over the jet-lag and my body had adapted to the time change. A few days after my first day at the school people no longer swarmed around me, they no longer bombarded me with hundreds of questions between classes. Instead their curiosity was satisfied, for the moment, and left me to my business, but they were still friendly. Though a few of them from the first day still hung around me, not asking me questions, but just striking a conversation.

Today had started out like any other day. The sun shone brightly, the birds were singing, and the classroom was filled with loud chatter from the students inside. Everyone conversed with one another, talking about their weekend activities, waiting for the teacher to arrive. When he finally did class began, and all the other classes were the same. It wasn't until after lunch that the routine changed.

"I can't wait `till ballet practice!" Kimi said when we got back to the classroom, prancing over to our desks.

"You just can't wait because you won't get in trouble for dancing!" Naomi laughed, reminding us of what happened a little earlier when a teacher caught her dancing around the room. Kimi pouted and crossing her arms.

"That's not my only reason!" She tried to defend herself.

"No, you also like wearing tutus!" Amaya added, making Kimi lose her pout and giggle.

"Speaking of which," Kimi said as she turned to me. "Hey Shina, why don't you try ballet? You definitely got the legs for it!"

I gave her a small smile, if only she knew. "I'll have to think about it."

Kimi was about to say something else, but the teacher walked in and we quickly got into our seats, the noise suddenly dying. With out a second thought he picked up the chalk and started the lesson. I opened my notebook to start taking notes when a piece of paper caught my attention. Wedge in between some of the pages was a small note with a simple message from someone I had never met or heard of.

Now I'm standing in a quiet hallway staring at the elegant carvings on the doors. _'Come on Shina, don't be a chicken! Just walk in there and see what this person wants and then leave, it's as simple as that!'_

With a sigh I reached for both handles and grabbed them. Surprisingly the lustrous metal was warm in my cold hands. Taking a deep breath I swung up the doors, and was greeted by light chatter and laughter.

Cautiously I walked into the large spacious room, my shoes clicking softly against the glossy marble tiles. Further back were people, mostly girls, lounging on classy furniture talking with one another while they sipped from fine expensive china. As I looked around a girl walked up to me with a big smile on her face.

"You must be Shina!" She said excitedly.

"I am." I replied politely. "And you are?"

The girl suddenly started laughing, throwing back her light colored hair. When she was finished she bowed her head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, my name is Renge Houshakuji, and I'm in your class!"

"You are? Then why haven't I seen you?" I asked and then I remembered the note, and the name signed at the bottom. "And you're the one who wanted me to come here?"

"You haven't seen me much because I was in France when you arrived and I just got back today. And yes, I did want you to come here!"

"Why?"

She laughed again, this time it was a little creeper than before. "Just come with me and you'll find out!"

With a sigh I followed her into the room, ignoring the little voice inside my head telling me to get the hell out of there. As we walked I noticed that there were a few boys in the room, and that the girls were surrounding them. From what little of the conversations that I heard I realized that the girls were being charmed by the boys, and they were enjoying it. Shaking my head I thought, _'This school just gets weirder and weirder by the day!'_

Finally we stopped at a table that was further back from all the activity. The table was small and had two empty chairs seated across the table. On the surface was a small laptop and a few papers in a neat pile. Confused I looked toward Renge, but found that she had disappeared.

"What the? Where did she go?" I whispered to myself as I looked around.

"I'm sorry if you waited long Miss Hanasuki." A calm voice said from behind me. I turned back toward the table and saw a tall boy stand by the chair near the laptop. He wore the boys' blue uniform and a thin pair of glasses. "I am Kyoya Ootori."

"Ootori? Where have I heard that name from?" I mumbled to myself, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. "You're the youngest son of one of my father's friends from high school, and my grandfather is a patient for one of your family's hospitals!"

He smiled and adjusted his glasses. "Please have a seat."

I walked to the other side of the table and sat in the plush seated chair while Kyoya seated himself. He leaned back in his chair and tried to start a casual conversation. "So Miss Hanasuki, how has your fist week at our fine school?"

"At first I got lost a lot, but after a while I was able to adjust." I answered as folded my hands in my lap, leaning against the back of the chair.

"And I'm assuming that you had a pleasant trip from the States?"

"Yes, though it was a little more emotional than I wanted." There was something about him that didn't seem right, something that made this conversation a waste of time. But unsure of what his actions were I played along anyways, watching for any hints toward his true motives.

"Unfortunately, after being in one place for so long an emotional farewell is usually expected." He shifted slightly and I caught a glimpse at his dark eyes, they seemed to look like they were calculating something, anything. "Did your father accompany you or is he still in the States?"

"No, I came here by myself. Sadly, my father is trying to finish up some business before he leaves, but his client is rather picky and is making things slightly difficult for him." I told him as I crossed my legs and leaned forward. With my arms on the table and my hands folded together I placed my chin on top, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Now I sense that you are not the type for casual chitchat with just anyone, even children of family friends, without something to gain from the interaction. So what is the real reason as to why I am here?"

Kyoya smirked and leaned forward in his chair, his eyes never leaving mine. "I see you're very sharp Miss Hanasuki."

"Please, call me Shina. So what is it that you really want Kyoya?"

For a moment he broke eye contact to look over to the other people in the room. Then he adjusted his glasses again and spoke. "This is a Host Club, and I am the manager of the money that this club receives and spends."

"A Host club?" I repeated, not sure if I heard him right or not.

"Yes Shina, though not the same as what you may be familiar with."

"How so?"

He extended his hand slightly to the others as he explained, "Here we entertain our clients in the most appropriate and innocent ways possible."

"I see, so these girls have nothing better to do?" I asked.

"No. We try to make every girl that steps into the Host Club happy."

"Alright, so where do I come into the picture?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Recently the president of the club, Tamaki, has wanted to do more things with the club. The things he wants to do exceed our current budget."

"So why don't you get money from the school?"

"Because it would be too much of an inconvenience to pay the school back later, and I'd rather use money that we have earned ourselves." He then grabbed a small stack of magazines and handed them to me. "Before we've sold merchandise to our clients for extra money, but we currently don't have anything new to sell them."

I took a minute to quickly thumb through the pages of one of the magazines. It was a thin book full of quick snaps of the twins. The images were full of amateur mistakes, they were extremely blurry and the lighting was awful, just to name a few. A distasteful frown formed on my lips as I finished looking at the book. "I'm sorry to say this, but those are some of the worst pictures I've seen in a while!"

"It's alright, I completely agree with you, that's why I've asked you here." He said as he looked me straight in the eyes. "I know that you are experienced with a camera, in fact I also know that you have done some jobs for your father in the past, and I was wondering if you were willing to help us out."

I leaned back against my chair and let my arms drop back into my lap as I let everything soak in. After a moment I finally spoke, "So you want me to take pictures of the hosts?"

"I'd like you to take pictures of what the hosts are doing."

"Like capturing the moment?" I asked and he simply nodded. "What do I get in return for my services?"

"If you accept the job I'll be happy to work out an arrangement that will be satisfying for the both of us."

"I'll have to think about it, see how it might affect my schedule." I said as I stood.

Kyoya stood and bowed slightly, "I'll wait for your answer."

"And you'll get it soon, I promise."

After I left Music Room 3 and the Host Club, I started walking to the front of the school to wait for Aleksander. I knew that he wouldn't be here for another few minutes so I took my time walking down the now silent halls. As I walked I thought of Kyoya's proposition.

'_I wouldn't have to worry about asking for supplies, since I already have my own. And would I really take any money from them to do this, I mean he is the son of one of my father's friends, would that be right?' _I pondered. _'And what about what Kimi said earlier, should I really pick up dancing again?'_

I rubbed my head and sighed. For a moment I listened to the silence of the halls and nothing else, not even the constant firing questions in my head. Music soon drifted into my ears and I began to sway, moved by the familiar sounds of Beethoven's Spring Violin Sonata. Suddenly I found myself in front of another set of doors, where the music was the loudest. Instantly I recognized where I was and took a step back. I was standing in front of the dance room with my hand stretched toward the handle.

_'Why did I come here?'_ I thought as I stared at the door. The music seemed inviting and made my feet want to move my body to the rhythm, to the dance number I already knew for this piece. I chewed my bottom lip and willed my feet to turn from the door, to start walking away. Then I heard a tiny voice in the back of my head, one that has been haunting my dreams for years.

_'Just try it; you know it makes you happy. You need to be happy again Shi-Shi!'_

With a deep breath I turned back to the door and walked up to it. Slowly I took the handles in my hands and opened the doors, basking in the warm music filled air. All movement in the room stopped and all eyes were on me, some of them friendly and familiar while other were not so. I forced a smile and tried to put on an air of confidence as an older woman walked up to me. She seemed prim and perfect; her bun tight on her head without a single hair out of place, and her leotard fit perfectly and showed no signs of wrinkles.

"I've been waiting for you Shina," She said as she stood in front of me, her back straight and her shoulders back. "I was beginning to think you'd never show."

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**_Sorry for the long wait, but I was waiting for my beta to proof read this chapter but haven't gotten a reply back in months! :/_

_But anyways, sorry for any mistakes this has only been check by me so there may be several mistakes or none at all. If you find anything or have any suggestions let me know and I'll see what I can do. And please tell me what you think, I always love reading people's reviews! Hopefully I can get more chapters out but I'm not sure. But I'll try to work somethings out so that I can get more stuff updated! Oh and if anyone would like to help me beta this story I will be happy to hear from you! Anyways I hope you enjoyed reading and have a lovely day!  
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_**~Haru Eclipse**  
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	7. Chapter 6 No Matter How Hard I Try

**_A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed (*cough* Rosie *cough*and The Amendable Snow Freak *cough*) I enjoyed reading them! And here is chapter 6, I hope everyone enjoys reading it and sorry, but I promise that Shina will definitely meet the rest of the Host Club in the next chapter! xD_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 <strong>_No Matter How Hard I Try_

Out of the darkness, music began to play. It was beautiful but eerie, and it reminded me of musical jewelry boxes that played sad music when they were opened. Even though there were no words I could tell that it was telling a depressing story of something lost.

Suddenly a bright ray of light shined above me, chasing away some of the shadows to reveal a polished wooden stage. In front of the stage was an empty audience, but from the vacant seats came disembodied whispers ̶ like people waiting for a play to start. Just beyond the audience were a row of giant mirrors that stretched from the floor to the the ceiling. In the mirrors I could see my younger self staring right back at me. We were in simple black leotards with dark gray stockings. And we were standing in the fifth position, which was one of the first things we learned in ballet. Our arms came above our heads where our fingers barely touched, forming a circle and framing our face. Then our right leg crossed over our left, right ankle touching the left toe.

Frowning, I looked beside me to find a white figure standing in the same position only a few feet away. She looked at me and smiled. My heart broke as I looked at her familiar face and I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Then the music changed slightly and a sheer curtain, that I never realized was there, rose off the stage and we began to dance.

I remembered the moves my body was doing ̶ we had done this routine so many times. But something seemed off as I was forced into the dance. With the entire stage to ourselves we stretched apart and used it all. Together we danced around the stage, occasionally crossing paths. Our movements were beautiful and hypnotic, just like any other time, but this time there was also a hint of underlining sadness in the way we moved.

As the music continued to play it brought back memories I tried to lock away. Behind us those memories began to show. They were just fragments of what I remembered, pictures capturing the moments we shared together. Suddenly the tears I wanted to shed came freely. They were silent compared to my howling aching heart, and they came in a continual stream down my face.

But I still carried forward, moving my arms and legs to the music. As I spun slowly I knew that the dance was coming to an end. In some ways I wanted this nightmare to end, in others I didn't want to stop because if we stopped the dance would be over ̶ and I'd lose her again. Finally I came to the far right of the stage and turned to face my partner, who stood patiently on the far left. The music began to sped up, and taking a deep breath we charged forward together. When we neared the middle we leaped with our arms stretched behind us like wings. As we leaped we passed each other and our finger tips barely touched. Landing I put all my weight on my left leg and extended my right, making my pointed foot lightly touch the stage. Then I turned my head to her and stretched out my hand. She spun and mimicked my position but in reverse. She reached out her small hand and tried to place it on mine. But before I could grab her hand the music stopped. A loud screech filled the air and my partner screamed.

_'Oh God, no!' _I thought with wide eyes as I felt the stage shake. Calling out her name I tried to grab her hand but the floor beneath her suddenly disappeared, and she fell through. She let out a bone chilling scream as she went down. I quickly dove to the floor and barely caught her hand in mine.

_"Please, let me go!" _She pleaded with tears in her eyes. Frowning, I shook my head vigorously as my grip tightened. _"You must Shina, or you'll fall too!"_

Below her was a dark void but way in the distance was a tiny white light that seemed to grow bigger and bigger with each passing moment. Screams came from the empty audience as the stage shook and began to fall apart. More floor boards fell into the void, making the hole bigger.

_"Please!"_ She continued to beg as she noticed that the hole was threatening to swallow me too.

_"No!" _I shouted, ignoring everything around me. _"I'm not letting you go! I can't lose you again!"_

_ "But you have too."_ she said sadly. Then a small smile tugged on her lips as her bright blue eyes met mine.

_"What are you doing?"_ I shrieked as her hand let go of my wrist. She didn't answer just continued to look at me with sad eyes that held determined conviction.

Her hand began to slip from my grip. And before I could do anything else she started to fall again. My out stretched hand tried to reach for her, but the white light in the void sucked her in and she was gone.

Getting to my feet I tried to get away from the hole but fell back. My aching heart felt like it would burst and my tears were no longer silent. I let out a lonely empty howl that I had held in during the dance. I continued to howl as the pictures that played behind us settled on a marked tombstone with a stone angel standing above it, looking over the owner of the grave.

When I woke up from the nightmare I was greeted by the annoying beeping of the alarm-clock. Not in the mood to be gentle, I slammed my fist on the snooze button and silenced the beeping contraption. Then I took that fist and rubbed away the tears angrily. _'Why am I so angry? It was just a dream!'_

_'It was more than a dream, it felt like I was losing her again...' _Sighing I threw off the covers and got out of bed. I ignored the chilling goosebumps running up my legs as I walked across the cold wood floor over to the dresser. Next to the dresser was the large walk-in closet. Opening the door and flipping on the light I quickly grabbed my duffel-bag and the school uniform that was hanging up. Then I flipped off the light and slammed the door behind me. When I was back into my room I realized how dark it was, especially since my eyes had been exposed to bright light in the closet and then the sudden darkness of the bedroom.

Cursing at my stupidity under my breath I rushed to the main light-switches and turned on a few, letting a low intensity light into the room. After that I walked back to the dresser and opened a few of the drawers. I got the rest of my school uniform and placed everything in the duffel-bag before I zipped it up and placed it at the door. With everything ready I began to change for my first morning practice.

"Hopefully ballet practice will help me forget that dream and focus on other ̶ more important ̶ stuff!" I mumbled angrily. Then I began to rummage through the dresser again, this time looking for a leotard and stockings. I opted out of the black one that I found, for obvious reasons, and settled for a plain lilac. After I found a pair of simple white stockings I quickly changed, remembering how soon I had to leave for practice.

As I was changing there was a knock on the door. Fixing up the stockings, making sure there were no wrinkles, I asked who was there.

"It's Nan, Miss Shina." Came the polite voice of my personal maid.

"Come in!" I said as I forced a smile on my face. She opened the door and stepped through, closing it gently behind her. When she walked over I was busying myself with the leotard, trying to get it up my thighs without tearing the material. _'Note to self: Get leotards tailored!'_

"Good morning Miss," Nan greeted as she picked up my discarded night clothes. "How did you sleep last night?"

I stopped for a moment before I went back to trying to get my arms through the long sleeves and answered, "Oh I slept fine!"

From behind me, I heard her make a small noise and I realized then that she knew I was lying. For a moment I felt a pang of guilt for lying to her, because I knew that it hurt her when I did. As I turned around I met her stern eyes that tried to hide the hurt, and the guilt got worse. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," She said and her eyes softened. "Was it another nightmare?"

My frown deepened as flashes of the dream came back to me. "Yeah, it was."

"What happened?" Nan asked as she went to my desk and grabbed the chair. She sat me down and began to brush my long straight hair.

"It was about _her_ again." I said after a few moments, finally able to swallow the lump in my throat. Nan didn't need to know who I was talking about, because she always knew ̶ there was no one else that I had nightmares about. I closed my eyes and started fiddling my fingers. "It felt like I was losing her all over again, there was nothing I could do!"

Nan stayed quiet as I talked and she brushed my hair and listened. She started to get my hair in a bun when I said, "I think they're getting worse because the anniversary of ̶ well you know ̶ is coming up soon."

"That may very well be." She finally said as she was in the final steps of the bun. "They always do. But I know you'll get through this."

When she was done I looked up at her and saw her reassuring smile. Behind her words I could hear a similar pain and the hidden message, _"I'll always be here to help you."_

I wasn't sure whether it was the feeling of being pampered like a cat or talking with Nan (or possibly both) that made my mood a little less angry. Seeing the time on the clock I shot up out of the chair. "Gah! I need to leave soon!"

Nan laughed softly. "I'll prepare a quick breakfast for you, Miss Shina."

"Thanks Nan!" I said as she left. When she was gone I quickly went over to my dresser and grabbed a pair of sweats to put on over my stockings. Then I got the rest of my stuff together and grabbed the purple duffel-bag near the door before I bolted out of my room.

As I went down the large staircase I saw my grandparents waiting by the front door with Nan and my much needed breakfast. A true smile replaced my frown as I neared them. My grandmother looked so happy and refreshed despite the early hour. "Have a good day sweetie and please be careful!"

"Bah! She'll be careful alright, she's our granddaughter after all!" Grandfather said, he on the other hand didn't look so refreshed, but he looked a little stronger today. His wife rolled her eyes but couldn't keep a smile from gracing her lips, making her wrinkles move around it.

"Bye," I kissed them both as I passed. "I love you!"

"Love you too, Shina."

When I was at the door Nan handed my breakfast over and gave me a hug. "Have a good day Miss."

"Thanks." I told her, and she knew I was referring to more than just the blueberry muffin in my hand. She smiled and handed me a light jacket. "It's a little nippy outside this morning."

Nodding I took the jacket and rushed to the waiting limo, trying hard not to drop everything. Standing by the door was Aleksander, his mostly bald head seemed a little shinier this morning and the single group of dark hair a little curlier. He greeted me in his booming Russian accent and opened the door before helping me put my things in the vehicular. When everything was settled he drove off and headed to the school. I watched the world whip by as I ate my muffin and thought about the coming day.


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